Post-anchor.



P. I. HINDMARSH.-

Pos ANCHQR. APPLlcAT'mN man MAR. 26, 1915.

gSHEETS-SHEETI.

Patented May 8 P.1.H|NDMA RSH. POSTVANCHOR. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26,l9l5.

Patented May 8, 1917.

2 SMEETS-SHET 2.

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ionirn sirenas rarairr orario 'JPERCY J. HINDIVIABSH, OF LINCOLN,NEBRSKA.`ASSIGNOR 'IO THE AMERICANSTEEL @c WIRE COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY,OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

'POST-ANCHOR.

Patented May d, 19t?.

Application filed Merch 26, 1915. Serial No. 17,098.

To all 'whom it muy concer/z:

'Ee it'lniown that I, Pnncr J. Hixmtansn,

a citizen ot' the United States, and resi dent of Lincolnnn the countyot Lancaster and State of Nebraska, have invented eervtain new anduseful improvements in Post- Anchors, of which the following is a.specification.

My invention relates to anchoringy devices for posts and has particular'reference to a novel two-part anchoring device, each of which 4may bedriven to secure theanchor ing action.

It is ywell known that in the use of nietaliic structures for corner orend iosts ot fences, anchors for guy wires for poles or otherstructures, sonic eiiicient means should be provided for securing thepositive roten? tion of the member in the ground. Bitten ent forms otanchoring,- devices have heen proposed, niany of which are soconstructed as to obviate the possibility et merely driving the posts oranchoring members.

An object ot nr, invention is toprovide a very simple, inexpensive andeli'icient anchoring device which may `be positioned hy driving actionand requiring' no excavating` or the use of concrete. The invention maytake many different i'orrns, but one ot the essentials ot the presentdevice is the employment of a spreader and reinforcing; element which isfirst driven into the ground, and a cylindrical `metallic member whichmay he driven over the spreader, the lower end ot the last drivenclement heing;r slitted, to the end that when such slitted cud contact-sthe tlared end of the previously driven spreader the slitted ends will)iare and iorin an eiiicient anchor. l

The invention will be more readily understood hy reference to theaccompanying; drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is an elevation of a' fencepost of hiillow c if'lindrical'forrn; the lower end l ot'. which isslitted. i

Fig. Q ,is an elevation o'ta spreader, such as is r'ontenoplated hy me,

Fig. 3 is a view showingr the spreader after having been driven into the'ground and the post also driven into the ground but just prior to thepoint of spreading the lower end thereof,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the position of theparts ait'ter the spreading action has been completed,

struction, v

Fig. '7 is a View similarto Fig. o, illus,

trating the completed position et the forni shown in 6, n

Fig. 8' is a section onthe hne S-8 ot Fig. G,

Fig. 9is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing a slightly modifiedconstruction, and

is a section on the line 5%5 ot Fig. 10 is a vie-tv ot' the parts showinin Fig. 9 in completed position.

Referring; particularly to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5inclusive, it will he seen that l provide a.post 10, which may becircular or of other desired cross section,v

the lower end ot the post heling slitted, as at 11, to provide segments'l2/which act as anchors. The number ot these slits, and therefore ot'the anchoring members, is iinmaterial. tour slits. n order to accentuatethe bending action at the proper point, l may provide apertures 13 atthe vtermination. of the slits. For use in connection with the post justdescribed, I provide a combined reinforcing element and spreader, whichmay consist; in the shank portion 'le and the spreader portion,includingn the wings 15. 'lhe shank portion may loe crucitorm in crosshe umlerstood that this element to act Preferably, however, l 'purovideas a reinforcement for the lower endof the l tube it should provide aplurality of points of contact with` the interior or' the post. Thewings or webs 15, of which l preferahly provide eight, extend radiallyfrom thne axisot the shank 14 and terminate in .a driving,Y point 16.The upper edges 17' of the webs 15 are curved or beveled. in such manneras to suitably expand or flare the segments 12 at the lower end of thepost. I

l preferably provide a number lot the'welos 15 `which' shall be .inexcess ot the nurnlier of segments ot the .post to loel anchored; thisto 'obviate the possi-bility of the posts being so located thatthe-slits 11 therein should each register with a wing 15. In theconstruction shown in Fig. 5 4the spreader has beenA driven until itstop is substantially flush with the surface of the ground. The post 10is then driven, to the point where the lower end is about to be fiaredby the webs 15. In Fig. 4 the driving has been conipleted and 1t will beseen that the segments 12 of the posts have been flared and a positiveanchor is secured thereby. Furthermore, :it wi be seen that lthe shankla of the spreader serves to reinforce the lower end of the post andprevent any bending thereof at a point below the'ground. This is animportant advantage which should not be overlooked.

In theeonstruction shown in Figs. 6 to inclusive l.finiodified forni hasbeen shown as an anclior'for a guy wire. In that construe tion theanchor 18is iprovided at its upper end with an opening 19, to which theguy wire is secured. In this instance I have provided but two slits 2Oin the lower end of the cylinder, the metal in such cases beingsufficiently light that the bending or flaring action may take place. Inthis' construction the spreader is composed of the cruciforin shank 21,and a pair of wings 22 which serve to flare the lower end of the anchor.In this construction both the anchor and the .spreader are drivensimultaneously, the

' parts being assembled in the position shown in Fig. 6, the lower endof the cylinder being held against two wings 23 and preventedfromspreading by reason of the lugs 24 on the upper edges thereof. Afterthe assembled parts have been driven, the cylinder is given a quarterturn, or until the slits 2O thereof register with the wings 23.Continucd driving of the anchor member serves to flare the segmentsthereof. In the case of the construction just described the spreader mayhave a very short shank; in fact, only l of sufficient length to insurethe proper holdsection and have a hole 28 in its upper end to which awire may be secured. The lower end 29 may be a. duplicate of thatdescribed in connection with the construction shown in Figs. l to In thepresent construction the element 27 is first driven intofthe ground therequired distance, after which the tube orv cylinder 25 is located'lthereon and a driving tube 3() abutted thereagainst; the short tube 25is then driven until the segments at the lower end thereof are flaredand a suitable anchor is secured for the attaching elcnient 27 afterwhich the driver is removed,

leaving the parts in the ground in the position shown in Fig. 10.

The flared end of the spreader actsinerely to start the spreading actionof the fiukes or segments, their contact with the ground continuing thespreading without a great deal i of assistance from the spreader wings.The

advantageous result secured by the us'iof the present device is securedby reason of the fact ithat the spreader is so constructed as to causean initial curl to the lower end of the slitted post whereby the flakesare Caused to project or move in a substantially y horizontal line, unepoints'of the flukes en' tering easily iiito the packed earth. IThis reisult is not secured where the lower end of the post is merely flared asin that instance 30 the only iiare is secured by compressing the Iadjacent earth and the lower end of the post is held solely by friction,and in a manner similar to that of an expansion bolt. In ap plicantsconstruction the `post is held 35 against a vertical pulling action byreason of the fact that the fiukes underlie a large extent of earth andthis entire quantity of earth must 'be lifted or the linkes must be bentbefore the post can be raised. While the spreader has been described asof angular cross section, it will be understood that a tubular fornimight be employed with equal facility; also that the shape andproportions of the tube and spreader might be. e5

from the body of the spreader, the iiiclina-l o? tion being such as toprovide a relatively abrupt angle between the shank and the wings, incombination with a tubular post having a slitted lower end and adaptedto be driven over. said spreader, the construction of the spreaderlbeing such that the slitted ff' lower end of the post is caused toflare outwardly to substantially a horizontal posi-L tion, substantiallyas described.

2. In fence lower portions of the wings converging to a point and theupper edges of the wings being inclined outwardly and downwardly frointhe body of the spreader, the inclina- 120 if tion being such as toprovide a relatively abrupt angle between the shank and the wings, incombination with a tubular post. having a slitted lower end and adaptedto be driven over lsaid spreader, the construction of the spreader beingsuch that the slittcd lower end of the post is caused to iarc outwardlyTto substantially a horizontal position, the section of metal in the postat the inner end of the slit being lessened, thereu post construction, aspreader 100 post'construction, a spreader 115 having a plurality oflateral wings, the

by inducing a, mor

e abrupt bend of the said lower end portion;

substantially as descr-ibridi 3. In e fence post construction :i

weie@ i 4per' edgesl oi Suid wings: being iiiolii'ied oiitl waidly, theinclination being such es to pro vide e relatively. abrupt angle betweenthe being joined to the by :i curve, the are from a point x dius of thecurve being to provide a relatively ahnk and the wings, post having aover seid spreader, spreader being such end o the post is cau tosubstantially :i

' stantielly :is describ 4. lii e fence post construction a Spreaderhaving e plurality of lateral wings,

shank and the wings in eoiiiijiiiietioii with u tubular post, having itslower end slitted to provide :i plurality of segiiieuts, the hum loer ofsegments being difereiit ifi-oni the number of wings oii Suid spreader,the con* struction of the spreader being such that the slitted lowereiid of the post is caused to iiare outwardly to suhstentieily a.horizontal f position, substantially es deseribed.

Signed et Chicago, llliiiois.:A this 'ith day of March, 1915.,

PERCY J'. HTLNDMARSEL Witnesses:

A. F. SELEN, D. A. DEIGNAN.

